Star Wars: The Seive and the Source
by Crystallized Chaos
Summary: A story chronicling the adventures of two twin Jedi as they face the threat of a hidden Sith Empire.


A slender young woman dressed in simple, unassuming robes appeared on the holocron. Her hair was cut short, close to her neck with bangs almost falling into her eyes. It was hard to tell in the green tinted recording but her hair was probably black. She smiled and clasped her hands behind her back, looking into the recording device.

"New holo-record, T001." She said, her voice, while distorted by the recording, was soft and sweet. She took a seat in a chair and crossed her legs, clasping her hands around her knee. "I still have room on the last holocron but I think it's best if I start an entire new one for this mission. Avalon and I have been assigned to track down Tionne Ollon, the Jedi Knight that left the Order recently. As usual, the Council was wary about letting Avalon and I go on our own but they could hardly argue Avalon's logic on the matter. If we are to find this rogue then we will need to be secretive and I hardly think that there's anyone more qualified for the job than Avalon and me. In all honesty it's really Avalon that's meant for this sort of thing, the Council just sends me along if she needs back up." The woman sighed wistfully and continued to smile. "Right now the ship is on autopilot, we should reach the planet Ryloth in about a day, the Council believes that Tionne Ollon returned to her home world after she left the Order and while they weren't sure if she was still there Avalon thought it would be a good place to start our search. I have to be honest; I don't know why the Council is so concerned about this. Admittedly, it's rare for a Jedi Knight to leave the Order without warning but it's happened before and they've never sent anyone to investigate; especially not a Shadow and an Investigator. Because Avalon was sent I can only assume that Tionne Ollon's defection has something to do with the Dark Side. I sincerely hope that Tionne hasn't fallen and if she has I hope she will surrender to us so that we may take her back to the council for questioning. I know it's naïve to hope for such a thing and if I were to tell Avalon she would no doubt laugh at me, but I can't seem to help these feelings. The Dark Side is evil and no matter how much evidence I see to the contrary I believe that is people are made to see the evil of the Dark Side they will change their ways." She sighed and shook her head, her smile fading. "If only that were always true… Elysium Karrim signing off." She turned the device off and slumped back in her chair, staring up at the metal ceiling above her. "I wish I knew why the Council sent us on this mission…" She muttered sullenly.

On the other side of the ship Avalon Karrim sat in deep meditation. Unlike her sister Avalon refused to keep any record or journal of her thoughts, she knew that Elysium wanted to be prepared in case anything happened; she wanted something of her to remain. Avalon had no such desires, her thoughts were her own and the idea of leaving them behind for others to pick through and debate was revolting. She didn't fault Elysium's desire to remain though; she could understand the fear of being forgotten. But Avalon wasn't thinking about records or journals as she sat in meditation, instead her thoughts were turned toward the shadow that was growing on the edges of her mind. For as long as she could remember the hint of a shadow had lain upon her mind, tormenting her with questions when she allowed it to but now that shadow grew until it was all she could do to ignore it. Every waking moment the shadow sat at the back of her mind, pushing steadily toward the front, vying for her undivided attention. For a while sleep had been her solace, the shadow didn't bother her when she was oblivious to the waking world but that was beginning to change; in the last year her dreams had begun to reflect the shadow and she knew it was only a matter of time before it consumed her entirely. She knew what the shadow was; she understood it and knew what it represented. It was the Dark Side of the Force, but more than that is was made by those who wielded the Dark Side.

No matter what she did to assuage her fears Avalon knew in her heart that something was coming, a darkness that had the power to wipe out the galaxy as they knew it. What that darkness was, how that power could be obtained or used she did not know but she had every intention of finding out. From a young age Avalon had wondered what hid in the darkness, her Jedi masters told her to banish such thoughts from her mind, that to study the Dark Side was to welcome it. Avalon disagreed; she believed that if one was to defeat the darkness they had to understand it. That is why she trained so diligently to become a Jedi Shadow; that is why she forced herself to accept the tumultuous emotions inside her so she could master techniques of both the Light and the Dark. There was no other Jedi in the Order that could use the Dark Side as efficiently as Avalon could; there was no Jedi strong enough to use such power without it corrupting them. Her dark blue eyes opened and a small smile formed on her lips. It was only a matter of time before the shadow overtook her and when that happened she would finally understand. In the meantime, she had a Twi'lek to catch.

Elysium and Avalon walked quickly down the street, their small ship was docked in a secure port in the underground city of Kala'uun and under the guard of two members of the Ryloth Police Force. The moment they landed on the planet Elysium had gone to find someone to guard the ship and Avalon had gone to see if she could find any information about Tionne Ollon. In fifteen minutes Avalon was back and telling Elysium that Tionne Ollon was in a cantina in the "smuggler" section of the city. Elysium had learned not to question how Avalon always managed to find someone willing to talk, most of the time Avalon wouldn't answer her and when she did Elysium didn't like the answers. Elysium glanced at her sister out of the corner of her eye, studying her. Avalon walked with her back straight, her long hair flowing behind her. She was wearing her usual black and silver Cinnagar armor with her lightsaber attached to her belt. Avalon had refused to wear Jedi robes since she became a Shadow, she said they were too conspicuous and didn't offer enough protection. The Council didn't like it but it seemed like they had learned not to argue with her on small matters. Elysium had always admired Avalon's ability to stand up for what she believed, but she wished that Avalon didn't argue with the Council so much.

The two stopped outside the cantina and Elysium's hands automatically went toward the lightsabers on her belt. Avalon caught her arm, her black gloved hand very dark against Elysium's tanned robes. "You won't need those I hope." She said, her voice slightly hoarse, as usual. She released Elysium's arm and opened the door to the cantina, walking inside confidently. She nodded to the two bouncers near the door and walked to the bar, taking a seat next to a Twi'lek woman with yellow skin.

"The sieve and the source, Elysium and Avalon Karrim, midnight black hair, one with clear blue eyes that hold the light of stars, the other with dark blue eyes that draw the gaze down, deeper and deeper until they drown. Pale, flawless alabaster skin and beauty unusual among the Jedi." The Twi'lek said, a small smile on her face. "I was hoping the Council would send you Avalon."

"Why?" Avalon asked as Elysium stood behind her, covering her back. "We've never met."

"I know you by reputation, which is enough. If what they say about you is true than you are the only one who can understand why I left the Order." Tionne said, taking a drink.

"Why did you leave the Order?" Avalon asked, waving away the bar tender that was trying to take their drink orders.

"Because I am a coward." She responded. "There is a darkness coming, it will descend upon the Jedi and if it is not stopped none will survive." She turned to look at Avalon, her green eyes boring into hers. "I can sense the darkness upon you. It torments you, much as it has tormented me. But you are braver than I and it is you who must face this threat."

"What is it?" Avalon asked, barely controlling the feeling of foreboding that was growing around her.

"I don't know." Tionne answered. "It is the Dark Side to be sure but it is not the Dark Side as we have ever seen it. It is not the small powers you glean from the Dark Side of the Force; it is much more than that. You have felt it growing as the years pass, soon it will be strong enough to assail us directly and when that time comes it will be too late to act." The fear in her voice was painful to listen to and Avalon could feel Elysium tensing behind her. "I am almost sorry that you were the one sent Avalon, I have seen your part in this and I regret my hand in it… You must seek out this threat, the origin of it, and you must destroy it."

"How can I destroy it if I don't know what it is?" Avalon asked, fighting to remain calm.

"You will find out what it is, take your sister and go to the places in the galaxy where the Dark Side is strong. It is there that you will find the answers you seek and the way to defeat the threat."

"If you know all this why can't you do it?"

"I told you Avalon, I am a coward. I don't have the strength that you do. If I were to take this burden upon myself I would fall and then all would be lost." Tionne finished her drink and stood. "There is nothing more I can tell you. Nothing more I know. I can give you only one final piece of advice: I urge you to remember the difference between a sacrifice and a fall." She took her cloak off the back of her chair and wrapped it around herself before leaving the Cantina.

Elysium's eyes followed Tionne as she left, watching her closely, it was only Avalon's hand on her wrist that stopped her from following the Twi'lek. As the door closed behind her Elysium turned back to her sister and was surprised to see her sitting at the counter with her head in her hands. "Avalon?" Elysium said tentatively.

Avalon shook her head and stood, motioning for Elysium to follow her as she left the cantina.

"Avalon talk to me." Elysium said; having to jog slightly to keep up with her sister's fast pace. "What was she talking about? I'm completely lost."

"Do you remember when we were young, not yet padawans and I told you that sometimes I thought there was something evil inside me?" Avalon asked.

"Yes, but we both agreed that you were being foolish, what does that have to do with anything?"

"That feeling has never gone away Elysium; I came to realize that it wasn't that there was evil in me so much that there was evil in my mind." She sighed in exasperation and quickened her pace. "I don't know how to explain this but what Tionne said was true, the Dark Side is becoming slowly more powerful in the galaxy and as much as I would like to say she was insane I believe she's right about the threat that we will soon face."

"I know you feel the Force more strongly than I but how can you know this? A few hours ago you knew nothing more than I." Elysium grabbed her sister's arms and forced her to stop. "This isn't like you Avalon, you don't rush into things…"

Avalon looked her sister in the eyes, trying to hide the urgency she knew was in her own gaze. "It's difficult to explain. I think we need to talk to the Council."

Elysium stepped back, her surprise showing on her face. "The Council? Avalon, you hate talking to them… This is really serious isn't it?"

Avalon nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"Holo-record T002: Leaving Ryloth." Elysium said as she turned the recording device on again. She was obviously worried, it showed in her face and the compulsive way she ran her fingers through her short hair. "Avalon and I found Tionne Ollon, she said she left the Order because she was afraid that the Dark Side was growing… I don't fully understand what she said but Avalon's reaction to it worried me. Avalon's all ready sent a message to the Council requesting an immediate audience with them the moment we return. I can only imagine how surprised they'll be to hear that she's the one that requested the audience…" Elysium sighed and fell back onto a chair. "All this talk about the Dark Side, it's unnerving. To be completely honest I've never really understood the Dark Side, or why people are so afraid of it. They say that Avalon uses the Dark Side of the Force when she uses powers like Fear or Lightning… They're classified as "Dark Side Powers" but Avalon's a good person, she's not evil or cruel, I don't understand why her ability to use those powers is bad. I've heard the Masters talking about her abilities, they're concerned that she'll fall to the Dark Side, they say she doesn't have control over her emotions… But that can't be true, Avalon has some of the best control of any Jedi, her control is far better than mine but I've never heard anyone mention me falling to the Dark Side." She sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair, becoming more agitated by the moment. "If Avalon and Tionne are right, if the Dark Side is growing stronger that I guess we'll have to do everything we can to stop it. I just hope the Council lets Avalon do as she must… In our entire lives, Avalon has never made a foolish decision; I often think she is wiser than some of the Jedi on the Council… I wish I could talk to her about all of this, tell her my fears and doubts but I don't want to bother her, she's been distracted since we left Ryloth and I know it's best to leave her to her thoughts when she's like this. It's funny really, I'm older than her if only slightly, but it's always seemed like she was the older sister, the stronger, the wiser, she's always taken care of me…" Her voice trailed off and she gazed out the window, looking at the stars flashing by. She was silent for a few minutes, lost in her thoughts until she jolted back to attention, shaking her head to clear her mind. "I can't explain why, but I think everything is going to be okay. The Force will guide us and what must be will be." She said, almost to herself. A small smile formed on her face as she turned back to the recorder. "Elysium Karrim signing off."


End file.
